A Little Romance
by Utsukushii Ryu
Summary: Full Summary inside AU DarkKrad SatoshiDaisuke yaoi shounen ai I edited the first chapter. Soundsflows much better.
1. Chapter 1

**I REDID THE ENTIRE CHAPTER**. I wasn't satisfied with it, and fiddled with it a bit. Much improved, if I do say so myself.

This is my first DNAngel fic, and this is for my C2 community. I started one a while ago (ahem, last year to be more precise) and I haven't added anything to it, so this will be my first story. Don't really care about your opinions, but if you still wish to review, I have no authority to stop you from doing so. Now, on with the actual fic.

_**A Little Romance**_

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _DNAngel_. Sugasaki Yukiru-san does.

**Summary**: Dark and Daisuke are brothers at a new school. Immediately, Dark becomes one of the popular guys, but a bad run in with the hottest guy in school, Krad, creates a rivalry Dark has never had before. Daisuke, on the other hand, quickly befriends Satoshi, Krad's younger brother. Krad and Dark desperately try to pry their younger siblings apart, but that proved futile. Takeshi, aspiring to become a writer, practices by writing plays for the school, and Krad and Dark become his new inspiration. So now, every time the school hosts a play, Dark and Krad are pushed together into the lead roles. Soon, one of them starts feeling attraction for the other...

**Pairing(s)**: DarkKrad; SatoshiDaisuke; one-sided RisaDark; maybe TakeshiRiku (more of a platonic relationship than anything)

**Warning(s)**: Risa bashing; language (mostly on Dark's, Krad's, and Takeshi's); **YAOI**; **SHOUNEN AI**; characters might be a little OOC, so I apologize beforehand; in this fic, Takeshi wants to be a writer, not a reporter.

Key:  
" ... " - talking  
- thinking  
- Japanese  
_**Number**_ - note

**Rating**: PG-13 (for now, at least)

If you don't like anything above, **turn back now**. You have been warned.

* * *

_Chapter One: New School_

"Dark! Wake up! We'll be late for our first day of school!" Dark grunted, and turned in his bed, pulling his pillow over his ears to drown out his younger brother's yelling. "_DARK_!"

"Alright, alright, I'm up!" growled the teen, sitting up in bed and glaring irritably at his bedroom door. He yawned, and ran a hand through his dark tresses.

Mousey Dark, who was seventeen years old, lived with his fourteen year old brother, Niwa Daisuke. They shared the same father but had two different mothers, resulting in them having different last names; neither of their mothers took their husband's last name. Living in the Niwa household had become uncomfortable for Dark, so he left to live on his own. The few weeks that he had spent away from the Niwas caused Daisuke to become very depressed, and Emiko demanded he take her little boy with him if he ever wanted to live in peace. And so, after much pestering and early morning phone calls, Dark took in Daisuke and they transferred to Azumano School District (the middle school and the high school shared a building).

Dark stood up and headed for the bathroom, grumbling about annoying little brothers who were way too cheerful way too early in the morning.

Dark stared blearily at his reflection, taking in his violet hair that shined purple when the light hit it right and his deep amethyst eyes. He narrowed his eyes slightly as he took in his slightly pale complexion that was—thankfully—no where near sickly.

Once satisfied, he began to prepare for the day.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Daisuke waited impatiently for his older brother, a pout on his face. He huffed in annoyance, his breath blowing his red hair out of his rose-red eyes. Every now and then, he'd glance at his watch before returning to his vigilant search for any sign of his brother on the landing.

Getting bored—and slightly more irritated—Daisuke began to study his skin tone with some interest. He had forgotten to put on sunscreen the other day, and was worried he might have stayed in the park too long—without even bothering to find a shady spot—as he worked on his newest painting. He was slightly darker than normal, for sure, but his skin seemed to be fine.

Daisuke glanced up at the stairs again, and finally caught sight of his older sibling.

"Hurry up, Dark!"

"I'm up, I'm dressed, what else do you want from me?" grumbled the older teen, grabbing a piece of toast as he passed the breakfast table.

Daisuke took in his brother's outfit—which consisted of a dark blue, sleeveless turtleneck that hugged his form in all the right places and a pair of black slacks that were slightly on the tight side—with a frown. Of course, the ensemble looked marvelous on Dark, who could probably walk around in _rags_ and _still_ make it look good, but it was definitely not what he expected his brother to leave his room in.

Dark, noticing his brother's scrutiny, glanced over and grumbled a "_Nani_."

"Why aren't you wearing the uniform?"

"It's the fucking first day of school," Dark replied, pulling on his shoes. "I'll wear whatever I feel like." Daisuke didn't respond as he pulled his own shoes on. What Dark said was true; none of the teachers would be able to deny him of what he wanted, especially not when he looked as good as he did at the moment.

They left their home and, after Daisuke locked the door behind them, walked down the road towards Azumano, attracting all kinds of attention from the townspeople, despite the fact that they've already lived there for at least two to three months.

Daisuke flushed lightly and stared at his feet as he tried to ignore the stares directed at him. Dark, on the other hand, smirked lightly, causing a few girls to swoon and promptly faint. Daisuke noticed this and couldn't help but chuckle at how ridiculous they looked.

They reached the school, and headed straight for the office. The secretary glanced up at them, and continued what she was doing on the computer.

"May I help you?" she bit out, apparently in a bad mood.

"Hai...anou...we're the new students," Daisuke replied timidly. "I'm Niwa Daisuke, and this is my oniisan, Mousey Dark."

"Un, we've been expecting you," replied the secretary, turning away from her computer to open a file cabinet. She pulled out a bunch of papers, causing Daisuke to sweatdrop at the excessive amount and Dark to cock an eyebrow, before turning back to them. She looked through them, putting them on the desk before each respective teen as she did so. "These are your schedules; your homerooms, lockers, and combinations; these are the official school handbooks—you might want to look through them," as she said this, she glanced disapprovingly at Dark's outfit but didn't say a word about it, "these are the school calendars—make sure you keep yourselves up to date on school events—the school's anthem—you'll need to be able to sing it whenever, wherever for extra credit; you get doubled credit if you can sing it in English—a map of the school; the school's hotline number; and last but not least, the counselor's room numbers and phone numbers. The counselors will deal with any and all problems, except pregnancy. For that, you'll have to go to the gym teachers_**1**_. Welcome to Azumano School District." With that said, she immediately turned back to her work, completely ignoring the stupefied teens before her.

Daisuke stared at the amount of papers before him, before tenderly taking the pile, Dark following suit.

"Anou...arigato...?" he said as he was pulled out of the office by his brother; the older teen had just noticed a strange looking lady staring curiously (not to mention—Dark shuddered—_lustily_) at them. _'Can you say "creepy"?'_ he thought.

Once they were far enough away from the office to satisfy him, Dark released his brother and stared at his homeroom number: **Classroom D-2; High School**. He glanced over at Daisuke's and frowned slightly: **Classroom D-4; Middle School**.

"Will you be able to find your class?" Daisuke asked softly, staring at his paper. Dark, knowing the redhead wanted to stay with him, if only for a little bit longer, looked away and scoffed lightly, attempting to discourage his brother from clinging onto him so often.

"I'll manage," he replied, walking towards the high school. He waved without turning back. "See you at lunch."

Daisuke watched his older brother's retreating back, a pout threatening to form on his face, before turning in the opposite direction, towards the middle school.

* * *

Dark glanced at the door numbers, not really paying attention as he went. When he finally got to room D-2, he glanced at his watch and cursed lightly; he was on time. He was slightly hoping to come late, if not only to leave a lasting impression on his new classmates when the teacher didn't reprimand him.

Steeling his expression into an uncaring frown, he knocked. The door was immediately wrenched open, and he blinked, bewildered, as a man blinked back at him in surprise.

Dark was barely a head taller than the other man. He had dark brown hair that was starting to turn silver in places, warm chocolate eyes, and was fairly handsome—for a middle-aged man, that is. He wore small, half-moon glasses that rested lightly on the bridge of his nose.

The man pulled back, smiled kindly at Dark, and motioned for him to come in, saying, "Ah, you must be the new student. Welcome to my class." He didn't seem to mind that Dark wasn't wearing the school uniform.

Dark coolly walked into the room, managing to keep any kind of emotion from appearing on his face. He stood beside the teacher's desk as the man closed the door and walked over to him.

"I am Takeshima-sensei; it's a pleasure to meet you," said the teacher. Dark mumbled something incoherently in return. Takeshima turned to the board, and wrote out 'Mousey Dark'.

Dark glanced about the classroom, looking over the heads of the girls who were staring at him in awe. He suppressed a smug smile as some of the boys in the class stared jealously at him, and was very tempted to smirk when he noticed some of the guys eyeing him appreciatively as well.

Only one person wasn't paying him any mind.

He was blonde, and his long hair pulled into a ponytail. His skin was fair, and he was about the same height as Dark, if not a few centimeters shorter. He was in great shape, with the boy's uniform hugging him where they should and hung loose where they were supposed to, and was currently flipping through a book, a bored expression on his face.

Dark eyed the arch of his back and his jaw line appreciatively, even how gracefully he turned the pages. One of the blonde's neighbors nudged him, and he glanced up with slight irritation, revealing golden eyes.

'_Beautiful,'_ thought Dark, managing to pry his eyes away when Takeshima turned back to the class.

"Minna, this is Mousey Dark," started Takeshima, smiling cheerily at his class. "He will be a new addition to the class, and I hope you all treat him respectfully." He turned to Dark, and smiled kindly. "Dark, why don't you tell us a little about yourself? Your hobbies, what you like or dislike, or your dreams for the future, anything you feel like."

Dark blinked in slight surprise, and stared thoughtfully at the ceiling, as if pondering what to say, pretending not to notice the wistful sighs echoing throughout the room.

"Hmm... Gee, what to say?" he said slowly, and Takeshima nodded in encouragement. "Well, I live with my otouto—he's really quite adorable when you rile him up—and he's in the eighth grade," Dark started fondly, thinking Daisuke would probably turn crimson with embarrassment if he ever heard this. "I like basketball, though I doubt I'll try out for the team," at this, the girls whined in protest, "and I'm really interested in ancient artifacts. Strange, I know," said Dark, chuckling slightly. "As for my dreams for the future," Dark smiled cheerily at his new classmates, oblivious to the seriousness shining in his amethyst orbs, "I'd like to become a famous actor who can do just about any part."

Takeshima stared, impressed; the girls sighed dreamily at the prospect of seeing him in theatre; as for the boys, they stared at him with a newfound respect. Dark couldn't help but smirk slightly (now that they knew there was much more to him than just a pretty face and great body), which went unnoticed by everyone except for a pair of golden eyes.

Dark turned his attention onto the blonde, and found he couldn't look away as said eyes observed him, daring him to turn away.

Takeshima pulled out a piece of paper and studied it.

"Hmm," he said thoughtfully. "Well, we are seated in alphabetical order at the moment—it makes it easier for me to learn your names—but why don't you sit next to Hikari Krad? Hikari, raise your hand so Mousey knows where you are."

The blonde shifted in his seat, and raised his hand just high enough for Dark to see. Dark nodded to the teacher, and headed for the empty seat, trying his best to avoid looking into golden eyes. He soon found it was very difficult, but managed fairly well.

Krad turned away once Dark took his seat, and proceeded to ignore him for the rest of the class. Dark wasn't sure how he felt about this, and tried his best to pretend he didn't notice.

'_I really shouldn't have left bed today...'_ he thought, but deep inside, he knew that wasn't how he truly felt.

* * *

Daisuke finally found his classroom, and raised his fist to knock, only to have the door pulled open for him_**2**_.He blinked in bewilderment as a tall boy stood before him, his eyes widening in surprise and confusion, causing Daisuke toflush lightly as he lowered his hand.

The boy before him was at least a head taller than him. He had light blue hair that fell into his eyes, which were a deep shade of blue. Daisuke almost found him drowning into those pools of sapphire so he turned his gaze elsewhere embarrassedly. The teen was lean, and his skin was slightly on the pale side.

The boy pushed his glasses so that they rested on the bridge of his nose as he studied the redhead before him. Daisuke's blush darkened.

"...Anou..." he began, uncertain of what to say.

"Is someone there, Hiwatari?" The blue-eyed teen, shaking off his surprise, stepped away from the doorway so the little redhead could enter. "Why, ohayo!" Daisuke turned to an eccentric woman in her late twenty's, a cheerful smile on her face, which did little to ease the redhead's anxiety. She had midnight black hair that was pulled into a loose bun and welcoming amber eyes that hid behind her round glasses. "And who might you be?"

"Anou...I'm Niwa Daisuke..."

"Ah! Hai! You're the new student, right?" Daisuke nodded hesitantly, glancing about the classroom.

The first thing he noticed was that there were twins seated somewhere in the middle of the classroom; one had long, brown hair tied back with a pink bow, the other sported short, reddish-brown locks. Their eyes, identical to each other, were a pretty chocolate brown.

"I am Shiroi-sensei, but can just call me Satori; welcome to my class!" continued the teacher.

"Eto...arigato, sensei..."

"Oh, pish-posh!" cried Shiroi, waving her hand dismissively. "No need to be so formal! You'll start sounding like Satoshi soon; he's the only one who calls me Shiroi-sensei."

"Hn." Daisuke watched the blue-haired teen, Satoshi, walked back to his seat, his face expressionless. Despite this fact, all the girls swooned, except for the twins.

Daisuke cocked his head slightly as Satoshi sat back in his chair, crossed his arms, and proceeded to stare at nothing in particular, his deep-blue eyes sharp but not completely focused.

He flushed slightly at the expression on the other teen's face, and glanced away, quietly berating himself. _'Daisuke, snap out of it! It's impolite to stare, no matter how attractive he is!'_ Daisuke frowned, oblivious to the attention that simple action provoked. In other words, the girls giggled at how adorable he looked, and the boys flushed silently, confused frowns on their faces.

"Niwa, why don't you tell us about yourself," Shiroi said cheerfully. Daisuke blushed, embarrassed.

"Anou...I live with my oniisan," started Daisuke, staring at the floor as if it was the most interesting thing he had ever seen in his life. "He's in the eleventh grade. Eto...I really love to paint, and I draw on occasion," Daisuke blushed shyly as he said this, "so you might find me in the art room a lot. I sort of like to act as well, but not as much as my oniisan. I'm thinking about joining the swim team." Daisuke tilted his head and rubbed his neck, causing the girls to coo at how cute he looked. Daisuke blushed even harder and glanced away. "Anou...as for my dreams for the future...I want to be a great artist who could paint or draw just about anything..." As he said this, Daisuke finally mustered enough courage to look up. His gaze was immediately caught by a pair of sapphire eyes that seemed to peer right into his very soul.

Daisuke shifted slightly, uncomfortable under the intense stare, but couldn't seem to look away. The first one to do so was the owner of those intense eyes, and Daisuke wasn't sure whether he was relieved or—dare he think it?—disappointed.

"That was wonderful, Niwa!" cried Shiroi, clapping her hands together excitedly. "I certainly hope your dream comes true!"

"...Arigato..."

"Now, to find you a seat...!" Shiroi scanned her classroom, and many of the girls glanced at the filled seat beside them in disappointment. "Ah! How about you take a seat beside Hiwatari over there?" Daisuke tensed slightly, but Satoshi only glanced uninterestedly over at the empty seat beside him before returning to starting blankly out the window.

"...H-hai," replied the timid redhead, and he made his way over to his new seat.

"Now, minna! Time for algebra!"

The class groaned in response, but pulled out their notebooks and textbooks nonetheless. Daisuke followed suit, but he couldn't help glancing over at the teen beside him. Satoshi was unperturbed about the concept of doing math first thing in the morning, unlike the rest of the class. Daisuke hid a small smile, and turned his attention onto the teacher. Well, part of his attention.

'_Maybe we can become friends...'_ he thought idly, opening his notebook to take notes. His smile widened slightly, unbeknownst to himself.

* * *

VOCABULARY (for those who don't know a word of Japanese):

Nani - What  
Hai/Un - Yes  
Anou/Eto - hesitation word; sort of like 'um' or 'uh'  
Oniisan - Older brother  
Arigato - Thank you  
Sensei - Teacher/Mentor  
Minna - Everyone  
Otouto - Little Brother  
Ohayo - Hello/Good morning

1 – I couldn't resist; I loved that part from _Gilmore Girls_ so much I just had to add it in here.

2 – I know, the same thing happened in the manga. I felt I should put it there; after all, the looks on Daisuke's and Satoshi's faces are priceless.

Well, that was the first chapter. See you next chapter (if you get that far that is).


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: **I was originally going to make Krad and Satoshi brothers…but that would seem odd…all things considered. So…I'll be rethinking their relationship/connection. If I leave things between them somewhat vague in this chapter, it's because I haven't figured anything out yet.**

Also, I deeply apologize for how long this took me to put up. I actually couldn't figure out how I wanted this second chapter to be written…I didn't want to be repetitive. But this seemed like the only good way to write it…so here it is. Also, my beta—yes, I got one and he is quite irresponsible, heh, but I love him—took his time in reading this. I understand he's been busy, and I'm responsible as well for not reminding him.

But it's finally here, and no use bellyaching about things you can't control. So…on with the basics:

_**A Little Romance**_

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _DNAngel_. Sugasaki Yukiru-san does.

**Summary**: Dark and Daisuke are brothers at a new school. Immediately, Dark becomes one of the popular guys, but a bad run in with the hottest guy in school, Krad, creates a rivalry Dark has never had before. Daisuke, on the other hand, quickly befriends Satoshi, Krad's . Krad and Dark desperately try to pry their younger siblings apart, but that proved futile. Takeshi, aspiring to become a writer, practices by writing plays for the school, and Krad and Dark become his new inspiration. So now, every time the school hosts a play, Dark and Krad are pushed together into the lead roles. Soon, one of them starts feeling attraction for the other...

**Pairing(s)**: DarkKrad; SatoshiDaisuke; one-sided RisaDark; maybe TakeshiRiku (more of a platonic relationship than anything)

**Warning(s)**: Risa bashing; language (mostly on Dark's, Krad's, and Takeshi's); **YAOI**; **SHOUNEN AI**; characters might be a little OOC, so I apologize beforehand; in this fic, Takeshi wants to be a writer, not a reporter

**Rating**: PG-13

If you don't like anything above, **turn back now**. You have been warned.

* * *

Chapter Two: Unexpected Intrigue

Krad sat down in his seat after hanging his schoolbag on its hook at his desk, and promptly began reading. His friends stayed clear from him, knowing the few minutes before class was his 'reading time' and any who disturbed him would have to endure his fiery temper.

All too soon in the blonde's taste, their teacher, Takeshima-sensei, walked into the room, and the Class Representative called all students to rise from their seats accordingly.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, sensei," greeted the class. The middle-aged man set down his briefcase, and waved for the class to be seated.

"Ohayo, ohayo…!" The moment everyone was seated once again, Takeshima's chocolate orbs were flitting deftly around the classroom, pausing only a few seconds on each face that stared back at him. "Hmm…we're missing someone!"

A quiet murmur rustled through the class as everyone shifted in their seat to see who was absent, only to turn back to the front, bewildered, after identifying that everyone in the class was present.

"Ah well," he sighed, "we will just have to continue class without him." He shifted through the many papers and folders within his briefcase, a frown marring his aging face when he didn't find what he was searching for. "**Gomen nasai**, minna," he said apologetically, closing his briefcase and heading for the door. "I seemed to have misplaced tonight's homework assignment. I'll only be a moment."

A split second before his hand even grazed the doorknob, there was a short, sharp knock, taking him by surprise. Bewildered, he immediately wrenched open the door, only to come face to face with an equally startled teenager; a very handsome one, at that.

Taking in the seemingly naturally colored purple hair, amethyst eyes, and flattering ensemble that was obviously _not_ part of the school dress code, Takeshima smiled kindly at the boy before him as he straightened, motioning for him to enter the room.

"Ah, you must be the new student. Welcome to my class." Takeshima watched in amusement, but refrained from commenting, as the teen sauntered into his classroom, his expression and posture the very definition of 'aloof'.

Krad raised an eyebrow as he watched the new student make his way towards the teacher's desk. Taking in his appearance, the blonde straightened in his seat somewhat, amusement pulling at his lips. As expected, the girls reacted exactly as he had predicted, though some of the guys in his class surprised him.

As Takeshima closed the door, Krad proceeded to pull the book he had been reading earlier, paying no attention to whatever followed next.

"I am Takeshima-sensei; it's a pleasure to meet you." Krad then heard the unmistakable sound of chalk against board, and almost immediately after, he felt a pair of eyes land—and stay—on him. Apparently noticing this, Kenji, who sat just behind him, nudged him, forcing him to look up. Krad, not liking the interruption—or how that amethyst gaze was affecting him, decided to ignore the scrutiny, and turned back to his book, allowing the printed words to pull himself away from reality.

To his annoyance, the moment the new guy—Dark, he vaguely recalled hearing Takeshima-sensei call him—began to talk about himself, he felt his attention wavering, moving from his novel towards the smooth, lilting voice of his new classmate.

"I like basketball, though I doubt I'll try out for the team," he said, eliciting whines of protest from every single girl in the room, "and I'm really interested in ancient artifacts. Strange, I know." Dark cut off to chuckle lightly, causing shivers to run down Krad's spine. "As for my dreams for the future," here, Dark's overly cheerful and flippant tone had taken on a resolute edge, causing the blonde to finally look up from the pages of his novel only to see an unexpected pair of determined amethyst, "I'd like to become a famous actor who can do just about any part."

Takeshima was obviously impressed, if the expression on his face was anything to go by. The girls, always reacting in exactly the fashion he had predicted, swooned, possibly at the thought of seeing him on stage—or the most likely doubtful possibility that he would take one of them as his girlfriend once he "made it big". The boys of the class, having already pegged him as a "prep" (or anything along those lines), were intrigued to say the least. Some were even taking a fast liking to him.

An almost imperceptible smirk graced Dark's handsome face, and Krad raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Dark turned his head slightly, and almost immediately afterwards, their eyes met. Amethyst widened slightly in surprise, caught off guard by the unexpected eye contact. Krad stared evenly back, daring the other teen to tear his gaze away.

It seemed like they had been staring at each other for hours when Takeshima's voice broke the silence between them, drawing Dark's attention.

"Well, we are seated in alphabetical order at the moment—it makes it easier for me to learn your names," Takeshima looked up just long enough to send a friendly smile Dark's way before turning back to the seating chart, "but why don't you sit next to Hikari Krad?"

Said blonde stiffened at the call of his name, frowning slightly. _'You have got to be kidding me…'_

"Hikari, raise your hand so Mousey knows where you are."

Krad shifted in his seat, not at all happy, but raised his hand nonetheless, just high enough for the purple-haired teen to see. Dark nodded his thanks, and headed for his new seat. Krad watched him for a moment, amused by Dark's obvious attempt at looking anywhere but at himself, before immersing himself back into his novel as Dark sat down.

* * *

Satoshi blinked, his sapphire eyes widening slightly as he was jolted from his trance. A quick look around the room proved that no one had disturbed him; in fact, no one was paying him any mind, other than a few flirty glances many of the girls sent his way—all of which, he ignored. He shifted in his seat, confused.

Shiroi looked up from her desk at the clock, and then stood up, a wide smile on her pretty face as she gained everyone's attention. She waited patiently as they all shuffled back to their seats. After the clatter and screeches of chairs being pulled out from under desks and the muffled steps of countless feet settled down, Shiroi clapped her hands together enthusiastically.

"Minna! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend," her smile widened at this, if even possible, "and that none of you did anything _too_ extreme!"

A few polite titters circled the room; Shiroi-sensei was known for her over enthusiasm about everything, causing her to become well acquainted with the doctors at the local hospital.

"Now, attendance—" Satoshi abruptly stood up from his seat, stopping his teacher mid sentence, and briskly made his way towards the door. Shiroi watched him apprehensively. "Hiwatari? Are you ill?" A quick glance over his shoulder immediately silenced her.

He stopped just short of the door, and wrenched it open. His eyes widened in disbelief and confusion.

Standing there before him, equally bewildered, was a boy who was a head shorter than him, causing him to stare up with wide, rose colored eyes. A mop of spiky red hair framed a heart shaped face that had turned a dusted pink as the boy lowered his hand. He was slim and the uniform looked baggy on him, but in a cute way.

Satoshi adjusted his glasses to hide how startled he was with his train of thought, and for some unknown reason, the shorter boy blushed a darker shade of red.

"…Anou…" he began to say, somewhat uncertainly.

"Is someone there, Hiwatari?" called Shiroi, her tone chipper once again, though laced with confusion. Satoshi stepped aside, and redhead stepped through the doorway hesitantly. "Why, ohayo!" She gave the new boy enough time to turn towards her before she continued, "And who might you be?"

Flustered, the red eyed boy replied, "Anou…I'm Niwa Dasuke…"

"Ah!" cried Shiroi, "Hai! You're the new student, right?" He nodded timidly as he glanced about the room. "I am Shiroi-sensei, but you can just call me Satori; welcome to my class!"

"Eto…arigato, sensei…"

"Oh, pish-posh! No need to be so formal!" Shiroi glanced over at Satoshi affectionately and added, "You'll start sounding like Satoshi soon; he's the only one who calls me Shiroi-sensei."

"Hn," was all Satoshi said in reply as he walked back to his seat, taking no notice of the routine swooning as he passed. He reseated himself at his desk and made himself comfortable to ignore his surroundings as he usually did. But the moment his teacher suggested the redhead share information about himself, Satoshi was quite irritated to find he couldn't stop his attention from shifting and reaching out in the general direction of the new kid.

"Anou…I live with my oniisan," he started timidly, if a bit unsurely. "He's in the eleventh grade. Eto…I really love to paint, and I draw on occasion," a small, barely perceptible pause, "so you might find me in the art room a lot. I sort of like to act as well, but not as much as my oniisan. I'm thinking about joining the swim team." He paused again, and Satoshi glanced up to find he had tilted his head and was currently rubbing his neck bashfully. The girls' reaction to that was immense, and Satoshi's lips twitched—as if to smile—when Daisuke blushed a darker shade of red and looked away. "Anou…as for my dreams for the future..." Satoshi turned to look at him now, intrigued. "…I want to be a great artist who could paint or draw just about anything…"

Daisuke looked up and stared directly at Satoshi. He shifted, uncomfortable, but didn't look away. Satoshi, realizing what he was doing, forced himself to look out the window, frowning slightly.

"That was wonderful, Niwa!" said his teacher as she clapped exitedly. "I certainly hope your dream comes true!" The redhead uttered a timid thank you. "Now, to find you a seat…!" There was another pause, one that irritated the blue-eyed teen, as Shiroi scanned the classroom. He stiffened when he felt her eyes land on him. "Ah! How about you take a seat beside Hiwatari over there?"

Satoshi frowned slightly at that, but only glanced at the desk beside him before forcing his attention back outside the classroom.

"…H-hai."

Shiroi gave Daisuke enough time to reach his seat before crying out, "Now, minna! Time for algebra!"

A groan was the class's response as they pulled out their notebooks and textbooks.

Satoshi, knowing all too well that today's math lesson would be nothing compared to the new student currently seated beside him in occupying his interest, sighed softly as he opened his textbook to the very back where the hardest problems that were allowed to be in an eighth grader's math book lay.

'_Why in the world did I go back to school?'_ he thought sulkily.

* * *

VOCABULARY:

Sensei – Teacher/Mentor  
Ohayo gozaimasu – Good morning (overly polite)  
Gomen nasai/Gomen – Sorry/I'm sorry/My deepest apologies (polite)  
Minna – Everyone  
Anou/Eto – hesitation word; sort of like 'um' or 'uh'  
Arigato – Thank you  
Oniisan – Elder brother/Older brother  
Hai – Yes

Thanks for reading. I'll try to hurry up with the third chapter. And again, I apologize for how late this was.


End file.
